A religious picture book with a delightful conceit—taking words from the Scriptures (referenced in the back) and constructing a prose poem around them—that becomes tedious. Impressionistic pictures follow Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem: ``I am the way they walk—these, people, who pass up hill and down going to the town to be counted. I am the vine fruitful with branches growing entwined by the side of the road.'' The formula is always the same, a sentence per page, neither telling a story nor achieving a poetic effect. The word which stands for Jesus is always printed in a different color from the rest of the text, tying into the illustrations. These are obviously related to Joseph and Mary's trip to Bethlehem, but they might as well be generic Bible scenes somewhat romanticized: In one, a man in a monk's habit kisses a woman who may or may not be Mary, while the trees behind them swoon. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8028-5075-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Catrow (illustrator of Kathryn Lasky's She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head!, 1995) provides a pictorially updated interpretation of the journey to the grandparents' house made famous by Child's song. Instead of the sleigh, the family tools off in a minivan from which the baby soon escapes into the chaos of the Thanksgiving Day parade. She gets bumped off a horse (``As over the ground we go''), lands in a tuba, gets blatted out into the hands of an organ grinder's ape, and attaches herself to a giant runaway alligator balloon, parachuting down to the grandparents' just as her family rolls in. It is a madcap pilgrimage, and Catrow's illustrations are a whirl of incident and amusing detail, but the deliberate contrast between old-fashioned lyrics and contemporary scenes never really takes hold, making it more confusing than funny. Preschoolers will find the pictures hard to read—the baby is difficult to find—and her misadventures will alarm more literal-minded toddlers. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8050-3852-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1996
An Oglala Lakota, Montileaux first created the ledger-style paintings (flat, two-dimensional) in this offering for exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, S.D. The illustrations are characterized by clear vibrant colors and characters that are portrayed in dramatic poses and facial expressions. The exhibit committee selected the traditional text that accompanies the illustrations in this telling of how the Lakota People were tricked into leaving the Underworld through the Wind Cave to live on the surface of the earth. They became “the Ordinary,” or Lakota. Sensing that his people needed help to survive, the holy man, Tatanka, transformed himself into a buffalo and sacrificed his powers in order to provide food and warmth to the Lakota people. Both the English and the original Lakota words are used side-by-side on each page. A beautiful rendering of story and illustration that needs to be in every library interested in building the diversity of their collection. (Picture book/mythology. 5-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2006
ISBN: 0-9749195-8-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: SDSHS Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
